A ten-day loop from Biarritz that crosses the border twice: the coast and villages of Labourd, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the Baztan valley, then San Sebastián, Bilbao and the Biscay coast as far as Getaria. The route avoids the motorway wherever possible, taking the border passes, the Jaizkibel corniche and the fishing ports, with two low-emission zones to prepare for on the Spanish side.
| Days | Stop | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 2 | Biarritz | Start |
| Day 3 | Saint-Jean-de-Luz | 17 km · 25 min |
| Day 4 | Espelette | 31 km · 45 min |
| Day 5 | Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port | 38 km · 45 min |
| Day 6 | Hondarribia | 85 km · 1h40 |
| Day 7 | San Sebastián | 32 km · 1h05 |
| Day 8 | Bilbao | 191 km · 2h55 |
| Day 9 | Getaria | 130 km · 2h50 |
| Day 10 | Back to Biarritz | 72 km · 1h |
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May to October; June and September avoid the July-August crowds. The La Rhune train runs from 28 March to 1 November 2026; winter is mild but wet, and the Guggenheim Museum closes on Mondays outside summer.
🚗 17 km · 25 min of driving from Biarritz
D810, the old toll-free coast road, via Bidart and Guéthary. The A63 covers the same trip for €1.20.
🚗 31 km · 45 min of driving from Saint-Jean-de-Luz
D918 via Ascain, D4 to the Col de Saint-Ignace, where the La Rhune train starts, then Sare and Ainhoa on minor roads.
🚗 38 km · 45 min of driving from Espelette
D249 to Itxassou, the narrow D349 through the Pas de Roland gorge (gradients up to 20%), then the D918 along the Nive.
🚗 85 km · 1h40 of driving from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
D948 towards Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, D949 over the Col d'Ispéguy (narrow and in poor repair on the French side), then the Baztan valley and the toll-free N-121-A.
🚗 32 km · 1h05 of driving from Hondarribia
GI-3440, a corniche along the Jaizkibel ridge to Pasaia. A low-emission zone (ZBE) authorisation is compulsory before entering the centre.
🚗 191 km · 2h55 of driving from San Sebastián
Toll motorways AP-8 and AP-1 to Bergara, Oñati and Arantzazu, then the BI-623 over the Urkiola pass. Bilbao ZBE: register in advance.
🚗 130 km · 2h50 of driving from Bilbao
Minor coast roads via Bakio, Bermeo, Gernika, Lekeitio and Ondarroa, then the N-634 via Deba and Zumaia. Slow, but toll-free.
🚗 72 km · 1h of driving from Getaria
Keep Biarritz (1 night), Saint-Jean-de-Luz (1), Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (1) via La Rhune and Espelette, San Sebastián (2) via the Baztan and Hondarribia, then Getaria (1). Bilbao and the Biscay coast need two more days.
| Car hire only, July | ≈ €52 a day |
|---|---|
| Car hire only, November | ≈ €32 a day |
| Car hire only, yearly average | ≈ €36 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
| Your own car | If you drive down in your own car, Biarritz is at the end of the A63, and the loop starts and finishes in the same place. |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | City car or compact: narrow roads at the Pas de Roland and the Col d'Ispéguy, and tight village lanes. |
| Where to pick it up | At Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne airport, as the route is a loop: no one-way fee. |
| Age and card | Europcar France: from age 18 with a licence held for 1 year, €40 a day under 26. |
| Payment | Credit card in the main driver's name; a deposit of about €300 is blocked. |
| Prices collected | Kayak averages for Biarritz, collected in September 2026, excluding extra insurance. |
⚠️ July costs about €52 a day in Biarritz, 30% above the yearly average: book early.
Valid on both sides of the border. In Spain: a vest inside the car and two warning triangles, or a €90 fine. Other licences: check whether an International Driving Permit is required.
On ordinary roads: 80 in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 90 in Spain. Motorways: 130 in France, 120 in Spain.
0.2 g/l in France for probationary licence holders; 0.3 g/l in Spain for the first two years.
San Sebastián: online authorisation, cameras 24 hours a day, €200 fine. Bilbao: ZBE Bilbao EGE app.
Beasain-Bergara: gantries read the number plate. Without a Via-T tag, register it on bidegi.eus.
Compulsory since 2026 in Spanish-registered cars; a car registered outside Spain keeps its two warning triangles.
Non-residents: the fine is set on the spot and paid by card or in cash, otherwise the car is impounded.
From 1 October 2026 outside built-up areas; a full change of lane on multi-lane roads.
Speed camera cars driven by private contractors. Radar detectors are banned: up to €1,500 and 6 penalty points.
Once a day. In July and August, paid zones every day from 09:00 to 20:00.
D349 at the Pas de Roland very steep; D949 over Ispéguy narrow, winding and in poor repair on the French side.
≈ €2.18 a litre for SP95-E10 unleaded and €2.40 for diesel in France; ≈ €2.00 for both in Spain (24 Sept. 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 596 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €90 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
Median prices at filling stations in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Gipuzkoa and Biscay, from both countries' official data. Fill up in Spain.
| A63 Biarritz-Saint-Jean-de-Luz (La Négresse toll barrier) | €1.20; the toll-free D810 runs alongside |
|---|---|
| A63 Biarritz-border (Biriatou toll barrier) | €3.20 by car (rate from 1 June 2026) |
| AP-8 Irun (Behobia)-San Sebastián | €3.15 |
| AP-8 and AP-1 San Sebastián-Bergara, towards Oñati | €8.71 |
| AP-8 Abadiño (Durango)-Bilbao | €3.30; the N-634 is toll-free |
| AP-8 Zarautz-San Sebastián, on the way back | €2.80 |
| AP-8 San Sebastián-Bilbao, motorway all the way | €13.81 |
| AP-636 Beasain-Bergara, barrier-free | €0.42 to €1.55 per section |
| La Rhune train | €26 return per adult in 2026 |
| Guggenheim Museum Bilbao | €18 per adult |
| Vizcaya Bridge, gondola | €1.80 per car, €0.60 per person |
| La Rhune train car parks | Free, limited capacity at busy times |
| La Rhune train | Every day from 28 March to 1 November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Guggenheim Museum Bilbao | Closed on Mondays, except from 15 June to 7 September 2026 |
| San Juan de Gaztelugatxe | Booking compulsory on certain days, calendar on tiketa.eus |
| Bilbao ZBE (Abando, Indautxu) | Restrictions Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 20:00 |
| Espelette | Chilli pepper festival on the last weekend of October, village very crowded |
Allow 8 to 10 days for this loop of 8 stages and 9 nights from Biarritz, on both the French and Spanish sides. In 7 days, keep Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, San Sebastián and Getaria, without Bilbao. The French side alone fits into 4 or 5 days.
In your own car: about 600 km, or some €80 of fuel at September 2026 prices, and around twenty euros of tolls at most, nothing on the main toll-free roads. Add the La Rhune train (€26 per adult) and the Guggenheim (€18). With a hire car, allow about €470 in July (€52 a day) or €290 in November.
Yes. In San Sebastián, every foreign number plate needs an online authorisation before entering the low-emission zone in the centre (1.2 km², cameras 24 hours a day), which is open only to cars registered since 2006; otherwise, a €200 fine. In Bilbao, the Abando and Indautxu ZBE applies on weekdays from 07:00 to 20:00: register on the ZBE Bilbao EGE app.
Yes, on both sides, but the sections are short. On the A63, Biarritz-Saint-Jean-de-Luz costs €1.20 and Biarritz-border €3.20. In Spain, the AP-8 costs €3.15 from Irun to San Sebastián and €13.81 to Bilbao. This route mostly follows toll-free roads; watch out for the AP-636, a barrier-free toll where the number plate must be registered in advance.
In Spain. On 24 September 2026, diesel cost about €2.40 a litre in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques against €2.00 in Gipuzkoa and Biscay; unleaded €2.18 (SP95-E10) against €2.00. On a 50-litre tank of diesel, the difference is more than €20.
By the cog railway that leaves from the Col de Saint-Ignace, between Ascain and Sare: a 35-minute climb to the summit, at 905 m, and 2 hours 30 minutes for the whole outing. It runs every day from 28 March to 1 November 2026, at €26 return per adult. Free car parks at the departure point, full at busy times.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/basque-country · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
